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Saturday, 16 September 2017

Trying something new this year in Paris and looking for trims and embellishments as well as fabrics. Here I am being overwhelmed by the huge choice in a display of Liberty bindings... we don't have this at home!

This is just a fraction of the display.

And this is me saying "damn you Mr Taxman, I had to pay 20% extra to get a receipt"!

We went to Saint-Ouen to go to Les Puces which is the famous flea market there, and they had a special invite-only night event. So we spent a couple of hours wandering around there.

And it was great to see one of my favourite embroiderers, wearing this amazing creation!

Back on the fabric trail the next day and we went to the fabric area which is literally on the doorstep of the Sacré-Cœur. I am still not getting too inspired by what I see. I think the shops may have already moved into their (duller) winter fabrics and that's just not me!

The Liberty fabric is pretty expensive, but I did find a great wax fabric and some nice viscose ...I also got some more embellishments but they haven't been photographed yet.

But you know everything is going to be fine when there are red sequins, and texting policemen on bicycles ...

À bientôt!

Thursday, 14 September 2017

Back in Paris and catching up with Wellington friends who are here for a few days. Did a cycle tour around Paris with Bike About tours. Yes, there is a kiwi connection to that tour company. And there is also a connection to Le Peloton cafe which was a huge favourite of mine last year, and where we ended up at the end of our rather wet ride. Yes it is raining here as well now. My snazzy new Rains raincoat is getting a lot of use!

À bientôt!

Wednesday, 13 September 2017

Continuing on with my 'Amazing Copenhagen' theme ... have you seen their Botanical Garden? What can I say? Amazing! Here is a pic of the Palm House which dates back to 1874.

Inside is a series of interconnecting rooms with a huge variety of plants and (warm) temperatures.

If you are feeling adventurous and can ignore any niggling fear of heights, you can climb the circular stairs to the roof. It's very warm up there, and a Health & Safety official's nightmare, but so good! Amazing even.

We also went to visit this beautiful church...

And we caught up with Underground Market ex-stallholder Shalini who moved to Copenhagen a year ago. Like me she sews with colourful print fabric and was able to confirm that there was very little fabric of that type available in Copenhagen. Still, it was fun looking for it!And here we are in my favourite Copenhagen cafe ...

Monday, 11 September 2017

The sun is shining in Copenhagen so we got out and about nice and early. First stop Grød for breakfast. The yummiest glutenfri porridge, but a huge serving and way too much for me. Please someone, open one of these in Wellington!!!

Our next stop was the Rundetaarn which is a round tower in the centre of the city that has a wide circular pathway up to the top. Amazing views when we got there!

At the top you can see all around Copenhagen and across to Sweden.

Did the Famous Model thing here, and then spent a bit of time looking at all the displays on the way down. This was a really cool place.

You can look in the core of the tower which is hollow and lets you see all the way down. The floor is glass and you can stand on it and take photos. Does this pic look like I stood on the glass? Hell no! I could hardly look.

Then we walked on down to the canal and eventually took one of the tour boats. We'd been told that the canal tours were a great way to get an overview of the city and it certainly was. We had a fantastic time out on the water and saw so many things that warrant closer inspection! This city is amazing. Uh Oh, I keep saying that don't I?

The modern architecture here is also amazing but I didn't get good photos. But here is my absolute favourite that sums it all up. This is the rubbish burning plant that has just opened and gets rid of all the city's rubbish, and puts power back in the grid. But best of all, the roof has been designed to be a ski slope in the winter! And that absolutely delights me! AMAZING I shall say again.

Sunday, 10 September 2017

We are still in Copenhagen. It is a beautiful city - very walkable. It's been raining a lot but we've just done what the locals do, put on a raincoat and got on with it. I'm not doing too well in my fabric search but there's still a couple of days to go!

Yesterday we took a 'busman's holiday' and went to the Finders Keepers Market. Luckily the signage was good and we found it easily enough.There were lots of people there but not as many stalls as we were expecting.It had a very distinctive Danish style. And lots of black clothes ... so not many photos of the stalls cos you know how I feel about black clothes!

The market was held in a new area and in new buildings so there was a definite concrete and unfinished look going on. This corner reminds me of my stall in Underground Market!!

All brand new!

This is in contrast to what we saw on our way there. This is where we are staying.

The bikes line the streets and are parked everywhere.

And yes, I've had a wee haircut. I'm leaving a lot of hair as well as my heart in this city!

Saturday, 9 September 2017

We are now in Copenhagen. It is such a lovely city even if it has been raining most of the time that we've been here so far.It is very pedestrian and cycle friendly. There are thousands of bikes everywhere.We spent most of today walking around but started the day buying a raincoat. Rains are the famous brand here and everyone is wearing them. So when in Rome ... you wear a Rains raincoat.

Note that I am outside a fabric shop. Stof means fabric in Danish. But this language is pretty hard to figure out as it doesn't read like it is written. So far I have only learnt:

Stof is fabric

Tak is thanks

Grod is porridge

Hej is Hello

Hej hej is bye

and of course: Glutenfri

I haven't found any fabric that I'm in love with yet. But there are still a few places to go ...

Thursday, 7 September 2017

After the success of last year's trip to France I am back here again. Being the Intrepid Fabric Hunter that I am, I am sure there will be many more new discoveries for me, and another heavy bag to lug home!Also we're going up to Copenhagen for a few days - Danish fabrics!!!Here's a quick update on Paris so far ...1. First coffee at one of last year's favourite cafes. Accompanied by the ubiquitous Parisian cigarettes of course. Can't say that I really mind the smoke BUT I HATE the sweet smelling vaping things. I'm looking at you Man-in-the-white-top-with nasty vanilla vaping stuff ...

2. First lunch. So good!! Practicing the lady-who-lunches pose of course.

3. Getting distracted from fabric by many beautiful things. Unfortunately this exhibition was only setting up so I never got the name of the so talented designer. Loved these A LOT! But how to get it home?? Maybe book another seat on the plane ...

And these were tiny but the expressions on their faces were amazing!!

This one is a bit like me today - my body clock hasn't adapted and I'm very tired today. Time for a nap perhaps?Ree

About Me

Hi. I'm Ree Smith. I believe that wearing lovely clothing that fits easily helps make women feel good about themselves. At Minnie + Ree I design clothes that are full of colour, pattern and touch; clothes that are flattering and individual. Look great, have fun and feel good! www.MinnieRee.com